ISSUE 304 APRIL 21ST 2010

Prophetic Brief Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century

An Analysis of the Financial Crisis in the United

States – Part 18 The Nations are Connected The closure of the largest airports in buses for a 20-hour trip to Frankfurt. The Afghanistan Europe due to the ash cloud from an From there they continued home by train. Icelandic volcano has caused massive Briefs global travel disruptions, and will have Beyond travel related companies, an increasingly negative economic industries which rely on moving cargo impact upon all nations the longer the and people through Western Europe have airways are closed. Last week it either already felt the pinch or they will prohibited most Western foreign soon. Kenyan growers account for 35 dignitaries, including President Obama, percent of the European Union’s imports from attending the state funeral for the of flowers, and they are losing up to $2 late Polish President Lech Kaczynski. million a day in earnings because they The estimated economic impact on the cannot fly their blooms to market. troubled airlines alone is immense, greater than that which followed 9/11 – reaching $250 million per day, accordingAfghanistan continues to be in the to Giovanni Bisignani, head of thenews with new troops, a renewed International Air Transport Associationpush against the Taliban and (IATA). Bisignani called for urgent action to safely re-open airspace and the IATAincreased deaths. The month of July expressed its "dissatisfaction with howhas seen the highest death toll of governments have managed it, with noAmer ican soldier s since the risk assessment, no consultation, no coordination, and no leadership.”beginning of the war in 2001, and Business leaders and airlines are urgentlythe total may increase still more calling for the reopening Europe's skies.before the month is out. "We will try to outline corridors, if we can, based on the evolution of the cloud,In a series of short video briefings, to allow the reopening of as large a Vegetables grown in Kenya’s Great RiftS c o t t We b s t e r a d d r e s s e s number of flight paths as possible, as Valley are also bound for Europe: quickly as possible and in good security peppers, corn, carrots, broccoli andAfghanistan from the perspective of beans. Airport warehouses in Nairobi are c o n d i t i o n s , " s a i d E U Tr a n s p o r tthe Word of God. Included in the Commissioner Siim Kallas. He told full and both vegetables and flowers arevideo sessions are: reporters in Brussels about the travel ban: beginning to perish; new shipments "it is clear that this is not sustainable, we cannot be received because there is no cannot just wait until this ash cloud room. 1. Why Be Aware dissipates." 2. The Formative Process “It’s a terrible nightmare,” said Stephen 3. U.S. Involvement Economic Impact is Broad Mbithi, the chief executive officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters Association 4. Key Players Of course the economic impact is not just of Kenya. He rattled off some figures: 5. What Does the Future Hold upon the airlines, though its affect on Two million pounds of fresh produce is 6. Kingdom Insights travel industries is the most immediate. normally shipped out of Kenya every Consider TUI, the largest travel operator night. Eighty-two percent of that goes to in Germany. With all the country’s Europe, and more than a third goes solelyVisit scottwebsterministries.org airports closed the company had to take to Britain. Five thousand Kenyan fieldwhere all 6 videos have been extraordinary — and costly — steps to hands have been laid off in the past few bring customers back from days, and others may be jobless soon.posted for viewing. Mediterranean vacations. Late Saturday, The only way to alleviate this would be TUI flew 540 of its customers from the to restore the air bridge to Europe, which Spanish island of Mallorca to Barcelona. would necessitate the equivalent of 10 After staying overnight in hotels paid for Boeing 747s of cargo space — per night.1 by TUI, the vacationers boarded a dozen 1 Mark With Flights Grounded, Kenyan Produce Wilts; NY Times, retrieved April 20, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/ 2010/04/20/world/africa/20kenya.html

Rev 18:17-19 "Every sea captain airline, and all who travel by ship plane, the sailors airline crew, mechanics and ticketing staﬀ, and all who earn their living from the sea global commerce, will stand far oﬀ. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning olcanic ash cloud, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city global economy like we have in 2010?' 19 ey will throw dust olcanic ash on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cries of fear of economic contraction due to travel bans and closed airspace cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea were dependent on global commerce and air travel became rich through her wealth! In one hour olcanic eruption she has been brought to ruin!

Militar y and Security meltdown affected every nation,

Iceland’s economic implosion stands out We have written in thisImplications as one of the most severe. All three of the country’s major banks collapsed due to series before about howEven though the skies over Europe werenearly empty of military and other difficulties in refinancing their short term nations have been moving debt, which in turn caused a run onaircraft, NATO General Secretary AndersFogh Rasmussen insisted that Europe deposits their banks located in the UK. towards economic oneness,was not defenseless. “I can assure you Britain froze the Iceland bank’s assets and how that is a featurethat the Icelandic volcano does not have within the UK because they believedany effect on our operations nor our Iceland might engage in acts that were that is prominent towards theterritorial defense of allied member detrimental to the UK economy. Iceland was outraged at the British action and its End. When John saw Babylonstates,” Mr. Rasmussen told reporters at apress conference in Brussels. To make then Prime Minister, Geir Haarde, being judged it was the declared it to be an unfriendly act.sure that message was crystal clear, astory appeared quoting a “senior Western kings of the earth anddiplomat,” who said several NATO F-16 The Iceland Central Bank then the merchants of thefighters suffered engine damage after announced they were engaging in talksflying through the volcanic ash cloud with Russia for a $4 billion loan, about earth that were crying outcovering large parts of Europe. which Geir Haarde said: "We have not received the kind of support that we were – or global political andThe official declined to provide more requesting from our friends. So in a economic systems that situation like that one has to look for newdetails on the military flights, except tosay that glasslike deposits were found friends.” Later the International function as one entity cominginside the planes' engines after they Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to loan to a place of collapsepatrolled over European air space. The Iceland more than $1.5 billion, but beforekey issue they are seeking to that loan could be finalized the UK and ( R ev e l a t i o n 1 8 : 3 ) . T h ecommunicate is that F-16s are patrolling the Netherlands halted the loans because what had become to be known as the eruption of a volcano inEuropean air space. Just in casesomeone got a crazy idea about a choice “Icesave dispute” had not been resolved. Iceland which shut down Eventually loans were made, but it leftnation or region being more vulnerable asa result of the closed air space, they Icelanders with $5.4 billion in IOUs to European airspace and isshould now consider themselves warned British and Dutch depositors and its c a u s i n g Ke n y a n f a r mby a senior Western diplomat – the flights international ego bruised. In that lightand announcement were strategically one can understand some of the jokes products to per ish inplanned for just that reason. about the volcanic ash clouds making the rounds this week in Iceland. One has wa re h o u s e s i n N a i ro b iIceland and the UK Iceland misunderstanding what Europe illustrates how much the was requesting: we wanted cash, EuropeThe volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull says, not ash. Another indicates that it earth’s economic system is(pronounced EY-ya-fyat-lah-YO-kut) inIceland and resulting ash cloud in Europe was the last wishes of the Icelandic connected and economy that its ashes be spread overis the most recent connection between the Europe. interdependent. If one parttwo countries, and it follows acrimoniousdealings between the two nations during Tongue in cheek attempts at humor aside, lapses it dramatically impactsthe meltdown. While the 2008 economic the present crisis may pale in comparison the rest of the earth.

collapse of Babylon occurs. The issue is Lord will come like a thief in the reverence for Christ; they are consumedthree-fold: night. 3 While people are saying, with making a living and ensuring "Peace and safety," destruction will profits. They easily live without God, buta) We must be increasingly aware of the they can’t live without cargo shipments, come on them suddenly, as labortimes in which we live so that God’s banks that extend credit, plunging valuemovements don’t take us by surprise and pains on a pregnant woman, and in the markets, etc.find us unprepared. The key events that they will not escape. 4 But you,are occurring must be perceived in light brothers, are not in darkness so c) We must have internal value systemsof God’s unfolding purpose for the earth, that this day should surprise you and positions of correctness while weand one basis that forms the difference exist among the global economic system. like a thief. 5 You are all sons of thebetween believers and unbelievers is that We reject Babylon’s deficient valuewe are aware while they are taken light and sons of the day. We do systems and standards, even while we gocompletely by surprise. It is clear that the not belong to the night or to the to work and live within (but not of)actual timing of the Lord’s return is darkness. (NIV) Babylon. The mandate from God is thatknown only by the Father, no man knows we “come out of her my people so thatthe day or the hour (Mark 13:32). We are b) Economics is the primary value that you will not share in her sins, so that yourequired to know the season of the Lord, drives the earth. The economic crisis and will not receive any of her plagues” (Revhowever. The day of the Lord will be like this recent volcanic eruption evidence the 18:4). Coming out of Babylon is not aa thief in the night only for those who are reality that a global system of commerce physical separation, it is a refusal to liveundiscerning, but we are not in darkness exists, and it drives the activity of nations according to the values that driveand therefore we are not surprised. and merchants alike. We can see how Babylon (competition, breach of events in one part of the world have a covenant, greed, selfishness, etc.). 1 essalonians 5:1 Now, brothers, dramatic effect on the entire earth, and about times and dates we do not the thing that is feared the most is a slow need to write to you, 2 for you down or stoppage of trade. The earth is know very well that the day of the not consumed with proper values or

Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension • Activating The Capacity To Build • Obeying The Command To Finish